Ogoh-ogoh on Pengerupukan Day before Nyepi Day in Bali

Pengrupukan is one day before Nyepi in Bali celebrated by the Hindus of Bali. Nyepi is a day of Saka new year celebration.
Pengrupukan is a day to perform ceremony in order to calm Bhuta (evil spirit) so as not to interfere mankind. The ceremony held on this day in all areas in Bali, called Pecaruan. While the late afternoon or early evening … young people around the region by bringing Ogoh-ogoh accompanied by gamelan tradisional music that was created about a month before.

Besides gamelan, usually accompanied by Tek-tekan (tradisional music with bamboo) had brought by the children.
Then tomorrow, Nyepi is celebrated by doing nothing, people stayed in the house implement Catur Brata Penyepian, that are amati geni (not light a fire), amati karya (not working), amati lelungan (not traveling), and amati lelanguan (no fun). The streets will look lonely without a vehicle, and no activity of the people who look. Around of Bali will no activity even the airport and television channel.

Ogoh-ogoh are statues built for the Ngrupuk parade, which takes place on the eve of Nyepi day in Bali, Indonesia. Ogoh-ogoh normally have form of mythological beings, mostly demons. As with many creative endeavours based on Balinese Hinduism, the creation of Ogoh-ogoh represents spiritual aims inspired by Hindu philosophy.
The main purpose of the making of Ogoh-ogoh is the purification of the natural environment of any spiritual pollutants emitted from the activities of living beings (especially humans). The forms of Ogoh-ogoh represent the Bhuta-Kala (Bhuta: eternal energy, Kala: eternal time), according to Hindu teachings. The imperceptible potentials of nature cannot be thoroughly explored by anyone. Philosophically, civilized men are required to manage the natural resources without any attempts to damage the environment itself.
Aside from being the symbol of Bhuta-Kala, Ogoh-ogoh is considered a symbol of modes of nature that form the malicious characters of living beings. Ogoh-ogoh is usually made by the group of artists found in villages around Bali. After being paraded on a convoy around the town, finally it is burnt to ashes in a cemetery as a symbol of self-purification.
An Ogoh-ogoh is normally standing on a pad built of timber planks and bamboos. This pad is purposed to sustain the Ogoh-ogoh itself during its being lifted and carried around the village or the town’s square. There are normally eight or more men carrying the Ogoh-ogoh on their shoulders. This procession is accompanied by music orchestra performed by the youth. The use of flares is also a main part of the parade.
During the procession, the Ogoh-ogoh is rotated counter clockwise three times. This act is done on every t-junction and roadcross of the village. Rotating the effigies during cremational parade and the eve of Nyepi represents the contact of the bodies with the spirits. It is aimed to bewilder the evil spirits so that they go away and cease harming human beings.

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Nyepi Day in Bali

Nyepi is a Balinese "Day of Silence" that is commemorated every Isakawarsa (Saka new year) according to Bali's calendar (in 2012, it will be on March 23rd). It is a day of silence, fasting, and meditation. The day following Nyepi is also celebrated as New year.

Observed from 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning, Nyepi is a day reserved for self-reflection and as such, anything that might interfere with that purpose is restricted. The main restrictions are: no lighting fires (and lights must be kept low); no working; no entertainment or pleasure; no traveling; and for some, no talking or eating at all. The effect of these prohibitions is that Bali’s usually bustling streets and roads are empty, there is little or no noise from TVs and radios, and few signs of activity are seen even inside homes. The only people to be seen outdoors are the Pecalang, traditional security men who patrol the streets to ensure the prohibitions are being followed.
Although Nyepi is primarily a Hindu holiday, non-Hindu residents of Bali observe the day of silence as well, out of respect for their fellow citizens. Even tourists are not exempt; although free to do as they wish inside their hotels, no one is allowed onto the beaches or streets, and the only airport in Bali remains closed for the entire day. The only exceptions granted are for emergency vehicles carrying those with life-threatening conditions and women about to give birth.
On the day after Nyepi, known as Ngembak Geni, social activity picks up again quickly, as families and friends gather to ask forgiveness from one another, and to perform certain religious rituals together.

Rituals

1. The Melasti Ritual is performed at the 3-4 previous day. It is dedicated to Sanghyang Widhi Wasa and is performed at the beach to respect them as the owner of The Land and Sea. The ritual performed in Pura (Balinese temple) near the sea (Pura Segara) and meant to purify Arca, Pratima, and Pralingga (sacred objects) belongs to several temples, also to acquire sacred water from the sea.
2. The Bhuta Yajna Ritual is performed in order to vanquish the negative elements and create balance with God, Mankind, and Nature. The ritual also meant to appease Batara Kala by Pecaruan offering. Devout Hindu Balinese villages usually make ogoh-ogoh, demonic statues made of bamboo and paper symbolizing negative elements or malevolent spirits. After the ogoh-ogoh have been paraded around the village, the Ngrupuk ritual takes place, which involves burning the ogoh-ogoh.
3. The Nyepi Rituals is performed with the following conditions:
   • Amati Geni: No fire/light, including no electricity
   • Amati Karya: No working
   • Amati Lelunganan: No travelling
   • Amati Lelanguan: Fasting and no revelry/self-entertainment
4. The Yoga/Brata Ritual starts at 6:00 AM (e.g. March 26, 2009) and continues to 6:00 AM the next day.
5. The Ngembak Agni/Labuh Brata Ritual is performed for all Hindus to forgive each other and to welcome the new days to come.
6. The Dharma Shanti Rituals is performed as the Nyepi Day or "Day of Silence."

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Tanah Lot Temple Bali

Tanah Lot Temple is one of tourist attraction in Bali, Indonesia. It is located in the Village Beraban, Kediri district, Tabanan regency, about 13 kilo meters west of Tabanan city. To go to Tanah Lot, Bali is not far from Kuta Beach or Denpasar city. It takes time only about 20-45 minutes by car.




Tanah Lot temple is one of Dang Kahyangan Temple. Tanah Lot temple is a sea temple as a place to pray to god of the sea. Here are also often held ceremonies of the Hindus of Bali.
 

There are two temples located on top of a boulder. One is located above the boulder, and when it was high tide, the temple will surrounded by water. And the other is located to the north over the cliffs jutting into the sea like Uluwatu Temple. This cliff merge the temple with the land and shaped like a bridge (arch).

In addition to a very large place and the sunsets are spectacular, the waves around the temple area is also the main attraction. Tanah Lot is renowned as a beautiful place to watch the sunset (sunset), tourists usually crowded in the afternoon to see the beauty of the sunset here. Like Kuta beach, Tanah Lot is usually a final destination for travelers after a day visiting the various other place of interest, because the best time to visit this place is between 17:00 to 19:00 local time, at sunset.

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KECAK AND FIRE DANCE

The most compelling part of the temple complex, however, comes from its nightly kecak and fire dance performances.
"Kecak" is derived from an old Balinese ritual called the sanghyang - a trance dance driven by its participants' repetitive chanting. In its ancient form, the sanghyang communicated the wishes of the gods or of the ancestors.
In the 1930s, a German visitor reformatted the sanghyang into the more familiar kecak performance - doing away with the spiritualistic aspect of the dance and building it around the Hindu Ramayana epic.
No musical instruments are used in a kecak performance - instead, you find about thirty bare-chested men sitting in a circle, uttering "chak… chak… chak" rhythmically and repetitively. The total effect is trance-inducing - repetitive voices and outlandish costumes creating a trippy multimedia experience.
The performance plays out as the sun sets, and the culmination involves a giant fire display that is integral to the plot. (Visitors wearing flammable material may want to get a seat higher up in the stands.)

Rama and Sita
To help those unfamiliar with the Ramayana, synopsis sheets are handed out to audience members before the show.  
The plot goes like this: Rama, a wise prince and the legal heir of the throne of Ayodha, is exiled from the his father Dasarata's realm. He is accompanied by his beautiful wife Sita and his loyal younger brother Laksamana.
While crossing the enchanted forest of Dandaka, the demon king Rahwana spots Sita and lusts after her. Rahwana's deputy Marica transforms himself into a golden deer to distract Rama and Laksamana.
Rahwana then transforms into an old man to fool Sita into stepping away from a magic circle of protection set by Laksamana - thus fooled, Sita is spirited away to Rahwana's realm of Alengka.
Rama and Laksamana discover the deception too late; lost in the forest, they encounter the monkey king.

Hanoman, who swears his allegiance and goes off in search of Sita.
Hanoman finds Sita in Alengka. The monkey king takes Rama's ring to Sita as a token of his contact with her husband. Sita gives Hanoman her hairpin to give to Rama, along with a message that she is waiting for his rescue. 
Hanoman marvels at the beauty of Alengka, but begins to destroy it. Rahwana's giant servants capture Hanoman, and bind him to be burned. Hanoman uses his magical powers to escape from certain death. Here, the performance ends.
Despite the historical and cultural implications of the performance, the Uluwatu kecak performance is strictly for the tourists. The fiery escape of Hanoman is played up for visual effect, and the actors who play Hanoman, Rahwana, and the giants ham it up mightily. The night I watched, Hanoman went up to a bald German tourist in the front row and rubbed the man's head, to everyone's amusement. 

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